If you haven’t watched this drama yet and would prefer a spoiler-free review, please click on the link below for general series information and story summary.

A young orphan dreams of working in the palace and becoming the head of the Royal Kitchen.  So she is overjoyed when she passes the test to begin training.  But while her natural talent and intelligence grant her many successes, her curious nature also causes her plenty of trouble.  Years later, she has achieved her goal to work in the royal kitchen, but her life is full of people who will undermine her skills at every turn to maintain their generational control over the the palace and it’s court ladies.  Watch as she climbs through the palace ranks, from a poor orphan to become the first female Royal Physician in history.  

Although the Palace can be a place of distrust and betrayal, they did a nice job in this drama of also showing the deep friendships that developed between the palace maids.  Both for Jang Geum’s mother and herself, those relationships kept them going through the worst of times.  

The fact that the “Great Jang Geum” was a real person is really interesting.  The idea that she was the first female to ever become a Royal Physician to the King makes her story so significant, and I felt like they did her story justice through this drama.  If rumors are true that they plan to honor the drama for it’s upcoming anniversary with either a sequel or a re-make, I am looking forward to seeing what they will do with her life story next.  

I felt like Lady Choi’s ending was well-handled and appropriate.  But it seemed like Geum Yeong just kind of disappeared.  I would have liked to have seen a bit more closure to her story, and maybe a scene of her apologizing to Jang Geum for everything she did.  Her struggle between friendship and jealousy was so much a part of the story, and it made her so much more relatable than Lady Choi.  A redemption arc would have been great, but she deserved at least some kind of ending.  

With 54 episodes to fill, it seems inevitable that there would be plenty of palace politics and intrigue.  But seriously, I feel like I sat through more boring meetings during this show than any real life job I’ve ever had.  And some of them just didn’t seem to have any point.  Especially some of the meetings toward the end between the physicians and the cooks.  Nothing seemed to really happen and it made an otherwise beautiful story drag a bit.  

‘Jewel in the Palace’ concludes with a happy ending for Jang Geum and Jung Ho.  Jang Geum’s mother has been cleared of her crimes.  Jang Geum gains the title of “The Great Jang Geum” and treats the King as his private physician.  But when it becomes obvious that he will die from his illness, the King tells Jung Ho to take Jang Geum away for her own safety.  8 years later, Jang Geum and Jung Ho have a young daughter just as inquisitive as her mother. Jang Geum treats the sick in her village. 

But the queen hears of Jang Geum living in the local village and sends her soldiers to bring her back.  There is a happy reunion with all of their friends and family at the palace.  But when the queen asks Jang Geum to stay on as her private physician, Jang Geum makes the decision to continue living with Jung Ho outside of the palace.  The drama ends with Jang Geum performing surgery on a young mother to save her and the baby, while Jung Ho and their daughter assist her.  

‘Jewel in the Palace’ is a classic historical drama based on the true story of a famous woman known as “The Great Jang Geum”.  This sweeping saga of her life story is beautifully told, and the extended scenes of traditional Korean cooking will leave your mouth watering.  It also offers some fascinating examples of traditional medicine and healing practices.  

But at 54 full episodes, this is a drama that requires you to get comfortable and settle in for the long haul.  The story is slow and carefully told, and the romance is so slow-burn that by the time they get around to it, there isn’t much time left.  Also, the extended political intrigues and endless royal meetings can be a bit wearing after a while.  For me, the story was enjoyable and I loved the themes.  But don’t enter into this one thinking it’s a quick, easy watch.    I give ‘Jewel in the Palace’ an 9 out of 10 ramen.  

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